When trains derail railroad workers are on the front line. Tragically, three railroad employees lost their lives in a recent crash in Texas when BNSF trains collided.

Four BNSF employees were involved in the fiery crash between two trains near Panhandle in Texas in late June, ABC News reported. It was the latest in a series of wrecks that has claimed the lives of railroad workers across the United States.

Later Houston Public Media reported that one of the trains had failed to heed a stop signal before the BNSF trains collided.

Three of the four crew members who were involved in the wreck died. A fourth was injured but his injuries were not life-threatening.

The force of the collision when the BNSF trains collided caused one of the trains to derail. BNSF said in a statement it has been actively deploying positive train control (PTC) across its network and the Texas accident was the kind of incident that technology was developed to prevent.

When trains collide or derail, workers are often injured or even killed. Earlier this year, two Amtrak workers died when a train hit equipment they were working on in Pennsylvania.

Congress decided to implement PTC after one of the nation’s worst train accidents in 2008, when a Metrolink commuter train crashed into a freight train near Los Angeles in California, leaving 25 people dead and injuring more than 100.

Both passengers and railroad workers alike would benefit from PTC. If you are a worker who is hurt on the railroad due to negligence you have the right to sue a railroad operator under the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA). Please call me for a free and confidential consultation today at (866) 455-6657.

There has been plenty of speculation about an apparent breakdown in communication that led to the death of two railroad workers in an Amtrak derailment near Chester in Pennsylvania on April 3. Now a wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Amtrak in Delaware by the family of one of the workers who lost his life.

The claim which has been brought by the family of Joe Neal Carter Kr., was reported in Delawareonline..

The suit was filed by Philadelphia attorneys Tom Kline and Robert J. Mongeluzzi, who represent the family of Joe Neal Carter Jr.

Carter was a veteran of the railroad and a longtime Amtrak employee. He was killed just north of the Delaware line while operating a backhoe.

The claim said Carter believed the track was protected at the time he was hit by the train. It cites poor communication and a failure to adhere to appropriate practices and procedures.

The worker was operating the backhoe when he was struck by the southbound Amtrak train at 106 mph. He lost his life along with fellow worker Peter Adamovich.

The lawsuit questions Amtrak’s safety precautions. It says the railroad failed to adhere to its own safety rules and did not comply with safe industry standards.

The family is suing Amtrak under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) in a claim that includes medical and funeral expenses as well money to support Carter’s two children.

The Federal Railroad Administration conducted a wide-ranging investigation in the light of the crash that has examined relevant safety precautions for workers. Recently, I outlined how the FRA has announced a raft of safety measures to protect workers from trains.

The investigation into Chester accident has looked at whether the work crew received the correct safety briefing before beginning its shift, a requirement of federal safety rules. Some insiders have alluded to a failure to implement basic safety procedures before the wreck.

Reports suggested a shunt strap was not in use at the time of the accident, in violation of Amtrak’s rules. A full report is not expected until the end of this year.

If you have lost a loved one in a railroad accident or if you have been injured while working on the railroads, I would like to hear from you. Call us for a free consultation at (866) 455-6657.

When accidents occur on the railroad they can be very severe. Rail yards are particularly dangerous places. I was saddened to read about the death of a worker who was killed by a train train early Wednesday in Richmond, Virginia, in what authorities are describing as an industrial accident at the CSX Acca Yard.

The death is under investigation by CSX Railroad, Henrico Police, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Richmond’s Acca yard

My thoughts are with those who the worker left behind after this terrible accident. I understand the train was being remotely controlled at the time of the accident. Remote controlled locomotives have been used by the big railroads for a number of years, but they are not as safe as having an alert engineer on a train with his eyes wide open and a horn on hand to warn railroad workers.

If you are a rail yard worker who was hurt on the job or if you lost a loved one in a rail yard accident, you may have grounds to file a lawsuit under the Federal Employer’s Liability Act (FELA).

FELA has existed for more than a century to protect the rights and health of railroad workers who suffered an appalling number of injuries and deaths before its enactment.

If you are a railroad employee who has been injured on the job or developed a work-related illness or a family member has lost his or her life on the railroad, please call our experienced FELA attorneys at 866-455-6657 today. Your initial consultation is free of charge and if we represent you there is no fee unless we recover compensation for you.